Published 4:00 am, Sunday, February 2, 2003

2003-02-02 04:00:00 PDT Moscow -- Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Saturday after the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over central Texas, killing the six Americans and one Israeli on board.

But as the Kremlin offered condolences to the United States, its long- standing rival in space, the demise of Columbia fueled Russia's hopes for a return to its onetime status as the leader in space exploration.

Putin told Bush in a telegram that Russia "sympathizes deeply with you over the tragedy which has struck your country." He said the Columbia crew had "given their lives to conquering the dangers of space in the name of peace, science and progress of civilization."

Just a few months ago, Russia's future role was in doubt as the impoverished nation struggled to scrape together enough cash to manufacture vessels for manned flights to the 16-nation, $100 billion international space station.

But Saturday, with NASA suspending all shuttle flights for an indefinite time, Russian space experts pointed out that that will make the dilapidated Russian fleet -- if only temporarily -- the only vehicles capable of flying into space.

"It is obvious that (U.S.) shuttle launches will most likely be canceled, possibly for several years, until the reasons for the Columbia accident are finally worked out," said Russian Space Agency spokesman Sergei Gorbunov.

This would reinstate Russia as a leader in space, if only for several years,

until the United States resumes launching shuttles, Gorbunov said.

This could be the biggest boost for Russia's once-proud space program since the Kremlin had to pull the plug on its Mir spaceship in 2001. The decision to scrap the 15-year-old Mir was so unpopular that for years Russians had sought novel ways to raise funds to keep it aloft -- including sending space tourists to the international station for $20 million a pop.

When the dearth of funds finally forced Russia to down the aging vessel, the cash-strapped nation turned to the international space station, which has become its last hope for leadership in space.

The United States pays most of the space station's costs, but Russia, which has designed and built some of its key parts, provides two Soyuz craft each year to take astronauts to the station; the Soyuz vessels remain as lifeboats for six months. Russia also provides five or six Progress cargo ships each year to deliver supplies to the station.

Last year, Russia's space officials warned that the government had no money to continue manufacturing enough Soyuz craft components for the station, which has been manned since 2000. But later, the Kremlin assured that Russia will continue to meet its financial obligations to the ambitious international project.

A crew of three -- Americans Ken Bowersox and Don Pettit, and Russian Nikolai Budarin -- is currently aboard the station. A Russian-made Progress 10 cargo ship will take fuel, equipment, food and documents to the crew this week.

Gorbunov said the ship would launch on schedule today from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakstan, which Russia leases from the ex-Soviet Central Asian republic, and dock with the station on Tuesday.

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